Student survey on later school start time for Spaulding High discussed

Wednesday

Nov 14, 2012 at 3:15 AM

By Samantha Allensallen@fosters.com

ROCHESTER — Tuesday night, the School Board’s ad hoc committee, charged with researching whether later school start times would have a positive impact on students, discussed a survey they would design for students to fill out by winter break this year.

Questions for students may include what time they get up and go to sleep, what afterschool activities they are involved in and whether students are responsible for caring for other siblings when they return home, though group members have yet to decide on a final layout. The final survey will be distributed to students for input in the coming weeks.

Chairman of the committee Daniel Harkinson, who proposed the formation of the group with a deadline of March 1, 2013, to make an official recommendation to the board on the subject, said parents will be surveyed separately, should the students survey indicate there is enough interest to move forward with the outside input process.

Rochester Middle School Principal Valerie McKenney said she worried about student surveys interfering with class instruction time, and the board deliberated ways to make the survey brief and efficient. They also discussed the potential for students working at a computer, one at a time, while class is ongoing to minimize the interruption.

Board member James Gray proposed reaching out to a program at University of New Hampshire for assistance in designing a proper survey, but McKenney insisted the members of the board had enough experience with students to form appropriate questions. Board member Anne Grassie also noted students should be asked what time they get up in the morning, rather than how many hours of sleep they get each night, because every person is different and functions in different ways depending on the hours of sleep they receive.

Jay McIntire, superintendent of SAU 54 which includes Wakefield students who attend Spaulding High School in Rochester, said he would like to see the survey touch on whether students believe a later start time would improve their school work and education.

Assistant Superintendent Mary Moriarty proposed the idea of focus groups after the surveys, so a “dialogue” could be had with some students on the issue. McKenney noted a discussion with students who are mostly tardy to school could shed some insight on the topic as well.

The next meeting of the ad hoc committee has been set for Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 5 p.m. Harkinson said that would leave only two months before the committee’s deadline in March for a final recommendation, though he said that time could be extended.

Committee members have yet to discuss how far they would push forward school start times, though McKenney said she had already discussed some ideas with Superintendent Michael Hopkins that may work for the district. At past meetings, the committee has discussed what impact the change could have on district bus schedules as well as family life. Wakefield representatives on the committee have voiced their support, saying it would help students who leave very early in the morning to catch a bus to Rochester. Others on the committee say they worry about the impact on student’s afterschool lives, including their part-time jobs and responsibilities at home.

In public comment, Rochester resident Doris Gates said she hoped parents would have the opportunity to weigh in, along with the community, to ensure everyone has a say in the idea. Gray insisted each group would be considered and questioned, should the process move forward, though the group has elected to start first with questioning students separate from their parents. After reviewing data gathered from students, the committee will go from there.

Harkinson said he also imagines if the committee recommended a move to starting school later, which the district accepted, the shift would not be adopted until September 2014.